This invention relates to a method and apparatus for packaging powdery or particle-size material between upper and lower films.
In a known method for packaging powdery material such as powdery medicine, sugar, or the like, it has been a common procedure to supply first and second, or lower and upper, thin plain films on a pair of sealing rolls in such a manner that these films form a V-shape in section on these rolls and these films are sealingly adhered as they go down between the sealing rollers. At this time, the powdery material is fed into the narrow pocket formed by these thin films. Then, these films are completely sealed as they pass through these rollers with the powdery material packaged therebetween.
In such a method set forth above, an inner pocket space formed by the two flat films is narrow and therefore, a relatively large pocket has to be formed by two thin films in order to smoothly feed a predetermined amount of powdery material therein. Accordingly, the length and width of the package has been very large compared with the powdery material contained therein. This means that the material costs for the packaging films have been relatively high and that the containers for enclosing a bundle or a plurality of bundles of the packages and, therefore, the space for storing the containers have to be relatively large. This has resulted in the increase of the sales price of the package.
Apart from the disadvantages set forth above, the thus formed known package has another problem when it is intended to remove the packaged powdery material by tearing one sealed end thereof. Because the powdery material often attaches to the opposite inner sealing end of the package it will not come off so easily.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus which can package a predetermined amount of powdery material in a relatively small package formed of two films, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs and sales price thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a packaging method and apparatus, wherein powdery material contained in the package can be taken out easily and completely by tearing one sealed end of the package.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus which can make packages for powdery material continuously without stopping the supply of films.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for packaging powdery or particle-size material without waves or wrinkles in the packaging films.